by Lynn Hagen
“You know him?” Deputy Burrows asked Hayley.
“He was in the middle of the road earlier. Naked, and drunk.” Hayley looked Gavril over, as if trying to find his wings. This could not be good.
“I could’ve sworn he had…” Hayley’s gaze bounced between them before it settled on Aiden. “I’m still arresting you.”
“Look, I can explain,” Aiden said, but nothing came to mind. “I slugged you because…” He still couldn’t think of a good enough excuse without telling the truth, and Aiden couldn’t do that.
Gavril rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Hayley blinked several times. “Why’re we all standing around?” He looked at Rudy before he stared at Aiden. “Just be careful next time. That could’ve been a bad accident.”
“Yes, sir.” Aiden sighed in relief that Hayley had no recollection of the thump in the trunk and being slugged.
Hayley grumbled something to himself as he walked away, got into his cruiser, and left.
“He didn’t see you nor I,” Gavril said to Burrows. “Or your car.”
“So, you’re really an angel?” Deputy Burrows kept looking Gavril over. Aiden was still trying to absorb the fact that they really existed. Then again, there was a Hell. It was on the outskirts of the demon realm. If there were demons, didn’t that mean there were angels, too?
Aiden’s brain hurt just thinking about it.
“I’m no angel,” Gavril said. “At least not the angelic kind. All of you can go screw yourselves.” He tossed his cigarette and walked away, leaving Aiden standing there with a massive migraine.
“You’re welcome for our help!” Rudy shouted.
Gavril lifted his arm and flipped them off before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.
Chapter Seven
For two days they didn’t see Gavril or Preston, Rudy was relieved. Hopefully the two had taken their fight to another small town and would leave the cabin alone.
“How’re you doing over there?” They were seated at a booth in the local diner. Aiden had chosen the last booth, the one closest to the bathroom so he could keep his back to the wall.
Rudy’s stomach growled at the smell of bacon as he watched the television mounted high up in the corner. The forecaster was calling for rain. That made him think of the tent he’d had in the woods. At least this year he wouldn’t have to scrounge for whatever he could find to protect his tent from rain.
When Aiden didn’t answer him, Rudy looked over at his mate. Aiden’s gaze bounced everywhere as he took a sip of his coffee from his white mug, the dark liquid steaming. He still couldn’t believe someone as big and muscular as Aiden had such an anxiety. Rudy could deal with people. It was the assholes of the world he didn’t like.
He got up and moved in next to Aiden, making his mate scoot over. Their thighs touched as Aiden gave him an appreciative smile. “If this becomes too much, let me know and we can leave.”
“No, I’m doing okay. I can’t expect you to stay holed up in the cabin for the rest of our lives. I need to work through this.”
Rudy’s heart melted and he fell just a little bit in love with Aiden. The guy was doing this for him, so how could Rudy not feel a swell of pride in his chest or an extra patter in his heart for Aiden?
He also felt very protective of Aiden right now.
Since Rudy had grown up in Maple Grove, he knew a lot of the residents. He just preferred not to talk to them since most had stuck their noses up at him when Rudy had become homeless.
Like Mr. Pearl, who owned a yapping dog and let the little terror shit on anyone’s lawn without cleaning up behind it. The guy was seated a few booths down, eating his breakfast, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Or Mr. Hawking. The guy had on a shirt one size too small, allowing the bottom portion of his rotund stomach to show. The guy had on ratty house slippers as he sipped his coffee at the counter.
The former sheriff sat in a booth by the door, glaring at his mug of coffee, and he gave Sheriff Copache the stink eye every few minutes. Rudy had never liked Chuck Archer. When he’d been in charge of this town, he was a complete jerk. He probably still was. Rudy had gone to him about being kicked out, but Archer had told him there was nothing he could do since Rudy turned eighteen.
He’d been so dismissive that Rudy momentarily contemplated pouring his coffee over the ex-sheriff’s head.
Then there was the new guy. Dr. Bjord. Just because Rudy had been homeless didn’t mean he was out of the loop. He still knew the gossip in Maple Grove. People tended to ignore the homeless, as if they were invisible, which made Rudy privy to a lot of conversations.
He didn’t know a thing about the new doctor, except he would be taking over the clinic.
“Here you fellas go.” Moose set their plates down in front of them. “Is there anything else I can get you guys?”
“No, this looks great.” Rudy smiled up at the giant. “Thanks.”
Moose squeezed Rudy’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re doing better, squirt.”
“Thanks.” Moose had been the only person, besides Reese and Aiden, who had given a rat’s ass about Rudy. Whenever the big lug had spotted Rudy on the street, he’d always gone out of his way to ask how he was doing and given Rudy some cash.
“Breakfast is on me.” Moose winked and walked away but not before refilling their coffee mugs.
When Rudy looked at Aiden, his mate was looking out the window, seeming lost in his own head. Rudy bumped his leg against Aiden’s. “Breakfast is here.”
Aiden shrugged. “I can’t shake the feeling that we haven’t seen the last of Gavril.” He turned and cut into his blueberry waffles.
“Or Preston.” Rudy shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth. The salty taste exploded across his tongue. “This is good.”
Aiden nodded. “These blueberry waffles are to die for.”
Rudy chuckled. “Did you just say ‘to die for’?”
The smile Aiden gave him made Rudy’s insides do funny things. “I guess I did.”
Aiden’s gaze flashed to the next booth over when a man and woman’s argument grew louder.
“I know what I saw,” the woman snapped. “He had wings!”
“Keep your voice down,” the man snarled as he looked around. “I told you that you needed to stay off the sauce.”
“I wasn’t drunk.” She slapped her hand down on the table. “I was in the garden when I saw him. All I was drinking was coffee.”
Rudy looked at Aiden. “Is she talking about Gavril or Preston?”
Aiden shook his head.
“So you’re telling me,” the guy said in a low voice, “that you saw a naked angel with a cigarette, drinking booze?”
Definitely Gavril, unless there was some other deity with bad habits running around town.
“He was taking a piss in my rose bush!”
“You know what?” the guy said. “I’m done with this, Deidre. “You promised you’d stay off the sauce, but clearly our vows of sobriety meant nothing to you.”
Rudy wanted to intervene, to tell the guy his woman hadn’t been drunk. But he would come off just as crazy as she sounded. He highly doubted the stranger would believe Rudy if he told the guy that angels were real.
He winced as he watched the guy get up and walk out, leaving the woman sitting there crying.
“We have to do something,” Rudy whispered to Aiden.
“Like what?” Aiden asked. “I don’t have Gavril’s powers. I can’t make the guy believe the truth. Even if we tried to convince him, we would sound insane.”
“Maybe we should try to figure out why Gavril is here.” Rudy poked at his food, no longer hungry. “He seems to be causing havoc wherever he appears.”
Aiden’s brows dipped. “You want to get involved?”
“No, but you see what he’s done already.” Rudy nodded toward the woman, who paid the check and left. Even if her boyfriend/husband didn’t believe her, the douchebag could have at least paid for their
breakfast.
“And how do you propose we find him, and if we do, then what? Demand he leave our little town? You saw for yourself that he’s a drunken asshole with a chip on his shoulder. He’s not going to listen to us. He’s far more likely to kill us.”
“Are you afraid of him?”
Aiden narrowed his eyes. “No, but I’m not stupid enough to go up against a celestial being, either. I might be a shifter, but I don’t have actual powers.” He sighed and wiped his face. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Rudy chomped on a piece of his bacon, more for something to do than to actually eat.
“And I’m the prince of Maple Grove.” Aiden grabbed his white coffee mug and took a drink. “Why do I have a feeling I’m gonna have ulcers by the time this is over?”
“We lure Gavril to our cabin, hand him over to Preston, and wash our hands of this whole mess,” Rudy said.
“First, we don’t even know how to contact either man. Second, how do we know Gavril is in the wrong? He’s an asshole, loud-mouthed, self-absorbed prick, but that doesn’t automatically make him the bad guy.”
Rudy definitely didn’t want to hand over someone who was potentially innocent, even if Aiden’s description of Gavril was spot-on. His shoulders slumped as he looked out the window and saw the woman talking to her boyfriend/husband by their car.
Aiden slid an arm around Rudy’s shoulders and used his thumb to trace small circles. “I love where your heart is at. That’s admirable of you to want to fix their broken relationship, but…I don’t know. Do you really think it wise to get involved in angel business?”
The guy pulled the woman into his arms, and she gave him a fierce hug. Rudy didn’t know what she’d said to convince him of her innocence, but he was glad they’d worked it— His eyes widened when she pulled back and smacked the crap out of him.
He had a feeling that even if they’d convinced the guy that angels were real, the couple’s problems ran deeper than that.
“You’re right.” Rudy grabbed Aiden’s hand. “We should stay out of this.”
It was the woman who got into the car and drove off, leaving the guy standing there on the sidewalk looking pissed as hell.
* * * *
“We got a call from Mrs. Deirdre Webb complaining about a guy in her backyard.” Deputy Aaron Mills stepped into Grayson’s office. “I think she’s fallen off the wagon. She kept talking about nudity and wings.”
Grayson looked up from the report Deputy Hayley had handed in about a drunken naked guy on one of the backroads. Could it be the same guy? But Hayley’s report didn’t say anything about wings. “Have Deputy Benton drive over there and talk to her.”
Grayson needed to speak to Hayley and see if the human had left anything out of his report.
“On second thought, send Deputy Burrows or Christopher.” If this had anything to do with nonhumans, Grayson wanted someone who could handle the stranger. He had no doubt Roy Benton was more than capable of doing his job, but that was the reason Grayson had hired a lion and coyote shifter.
To handle these kind of cases.
Deputy Mills nodded. “Right away.”
Grayson picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip just as Deputy Burrows walked in and closed the door behind him. He took a seat across from Grayson. “We need to talk.”
Malik made the chair look little, just as Moose always did. Grayson wasn’t a small guy, but compared to the shifters who worked in the station, and the one he was mated to, Grayson couldn’t help but feel tiny around them.
“About what?” He set his cup on his desk. “About that call from Mrs. Webb?”
Malik nodded. “Remember when Hayley asked for backup two days ago for a traffic violation?”
Of course Grayson remembered because it had been odd that Hayley would need backup for something so routine. Then again, for the past few months, Hayley had been acting kind of odd. Not enough that Grayson had to step in and ask what was going on, but weird enough.
The guy wasn’t popping off smart remarks or being a total dick. He’d been quiet and reserved. In truth, Grayson hadn’t asked because he hadn’t wanted Hayley to go back to being an asshole.
“Yeah, I remember that.”
Malik furrowed his brows, shaking his head slightly. He looked as though something was really bothering him, but Grayson waited patiently until his deputy could gather this thoughts. He didn’t want to rush Malik. The lion shifter pursed his lips and then said, “I didn’t mention anything about what I saw when I reached the scene, because…because it completely blew my mind.”
Grayson sat forward, resting his forearms on his desk. “You left something out of your report?”
“I did.” Malik held up his hands when Grayson scowled. “But you gotta understand. There was an angel there. An actual guy with white, feathery wings.”
“Was he naked?”
Malik nodded. “Naked and sexy, not that that matters. He was also drunk, smoking, and he was a bit of an asshole.”
Did that mean Mrs. Webb hadn’t been lying, hadn’t fallen off the wagon? Grayson wasn’t sure if he wanted that to be true. Dealing with a delusional woman would be better than dealing with what Malik was telling him. “Go take her statement,” Grayson said, because he needed to get to the bottom of this.
Malik pushed from his chair, his tall form looming over the desk. “If I find him there, do you want me to arrest him?”
Arrest an angel? Was that even possible?
“Though I have to tell you, he has some pretty impressive powers.” Malik headed for the door, leaving Grayson sitting there speechless.
Chapter Eight
Rudy was back at work, and Mike didn’t even object to Aiden hanging out in the kitchen. But Aiden did more than that. He helped Rudy with the orders, making his night so much easier.
They even had time to suck face against the chrome worktable. That was Rudy’s favorite pastime. He loved feeling Aiden’s lips on his skin, his hands on Rudy’s body, and the hunger Aiden always seemed to have in his pale green eyes. Nobody had ever wanted him the way Aiden did, and Rudy couldn’t get enough of his mate’s attention.
Aiden skimmed his lips down Rudy’s jaw, sliding his hands down to Rudy’s ass as he pulled him closer.
“Break it up,” Lacey said as she entered the kitchen. “Got a big order for you guys. Moose is here, with his friends.”
If there was one thing Rudy had learned, the giant could eat. It was Tuesday, which meant Moose would be ordering over a dozen tacos just for himself.
Aiden pulled back, giving Lacey a smile. Rudy and Aiden worked side by side to get the orders out, but as soon as they were done with Moose’s, more orders came flowing in.
Rudy was hoping for a slow night so he and Aiden could pick up where they’d left off. No such luck, but that didn’t stop Aiden from stealing quick kisses every few minutes.
Rudy had never blushed so much in his life. And he couldn’t stop thinking about this morning when Aiden had fucked him up against the shower wall. They were like two bunnies going at it constantly, but Rudy had no complaints.
When Mike left for the night and things had finally slowed down, Aiden dragged Rudy into the large walk-in pantry. Rudy snickered the entire way and slung his arms around his mate’s neck when Aiden closed the door.
“Much better,” Aiden said with a small growl. He pushed Rudy up against one of the shelves and attacked his lips, his hands skimming under Rudy’s shirt as he tweaked his nipples.
A can of salsa hit the floor and rolled as Rudy shoved his hand down the front of Aiden’s pants and gripped his hard cock. He pushed himself against his mate, capturing his lips, devouring him as he jacked Aiden off.
He pumped his fist as he lapped at Aiden’s lips, sucking his mate’s tongue down his throat.
A jug of oil shifted forward and fell off the shelf, joining the can of salsa. More cans fell as Aiden thrust his hips forward, fuckin
g Rudy’s fist.
“I’m almost there, baby.” Aiden gritted his teeth as Rudy kissed along his jawline. He gasped when Aiden’s canines descended. God, his mate was so beautiful. Rudy was shocked at just how much he already cared about the guy, how he would do anything for Aiden.
They hadn’t known each other very long, but he loved and admired everything about Aiden. Even his slight social anxiety. Whether Aiden admitted it or not, he was a caregiver, and Rudy falling into his mate’s life gave Aiden the perfect opportunity to show off his skills.
And Rudy didn’t mind in the least. How long had it been since anyone had taken care of him? Never. Growing up with his parents, Rudy had been more of a burden to them than anything else. And for the past three years, Rudy had lived on the streets, so why not let Aiden care for him? It was a really nice change of pace.
But right now Rudy wanted to take care of Aiden. He squeezed his fist tighter and bit down on Aiden’s lower lip, eliciting a deep groan from his mate.
“Just keep doing that,” Aiden said with a shallow breath.
With his other hand, Rudy palmed Aiden’s balls, tugging at the heavy weight.
Aiden hissed and jerked forward, his cum shooting out and hitting Rudy’s shirt. He collapsed against the shelf, drawing in ragged breaths.
Rudy stilled when someone pounded on the door. “That ain’t no bedroom,” Mike shouted. “Get your asses out of there before I have to hire someone to sanitize the pantry.”
When had Mike come back?
Aiden chuckled and kissed Rudy on his lips. “Looks like I’ll have to return the favor when we get home.”
After Aiden stuffed his soft cock back into his pants, they exited the pantry.
But it wasn’t Mike who stood on the other side of the door.
Rudy gasped as he looked at Gavril’s naked body. It was covered in wicked scars. Why hadn’t he’d seen those scars before?
“That’s the beauty of having your powers ripped right out of you,” Gavril said with a slight slur. Once again he was drunk. “The procedure isn’t always one hundred percent. And do you know what happens when you’re left with just a teeny, tiny bit of power? You get pop and sizzle, but no bang. And right now, I just don’t have it in me to hide my hideous body. So stare all you want, you bastards.”